A councillor has branded an unmanned £35 million train station an “expensive joke” which will risk the safety of vulnerable people.

Kent County councillor Barry Lewis (Lab) believes unmonitored CCTV and a lack of workers will make the Thanet Parkway station in Cliffsend, near Ramsgate, a “mugger’s paradise”.

But Network Rail moved to allay concerns, highlighting the station will come equipped with security lighting, cameras, and “remote assistance” for passengers when it opens later this month.

The railway giant also claims connectivity between East Kent, London and the wider region will help bolster the economy.

Cllr Lewis told KentOnline: “For vulnerable people - especially women on their own - it will be a dangerous place.

“It will be a mugger’s paradise because we have no on-platform staff and no monitored CCTV.

“CCTV that is unmanned only records crime - it doesn’t stop it.”

He claimed Thanet Parkway, which will be situated on the Ashford International to Ramsgate line, has no immediate neighbours meaning people will be far away from help.

But county council chiefs say the project will increase rail connectivity between East Kent, London and the wider Kent area by providing access to mainline and high-speed services.

The authority argues the project will provide access to more employment opportunities for local residents and 60,000 new train trips a year using it.

They hope it will also improve investment opportunities at Discovery Park and surrounding business parks in Thanet.

Network Rail says customer safety is its number one priority which will be equipped with a wide range of safetyt measures.

Thanet Parkway was estimated to cost £11.2 million, but the total spend spiralled to more than triple that.

It is due to open on July 31, but there are fears the new infrastructure will be underutilised.

Cllr Lewis said: “The station that was promised to be a top-grade station has become a white elephant.

“We already have more railway stations per population than anywhere else in the county and most people in Thanet will have to bypass an existing station to get to the new one.”

One of the incentives for the scheme is shorter commutes to London, however bosses have said this will only be three minutes quicker.

The Labour representative has been campaigning against the development for six years.

He is “annoyed” that he could not stop it as he could not convince enough people to halt the building.

Furthermore, Cllr Lewis claims: “People were always behind me but certain politicians saw it as a vanity project.

“It’s a bit like an oil tanker Kent County Council (KCC), once it’s travelling in one direction the powers that be are very reluctant to admit their mistakes and turn around.”

A KCC spokesman said: “The business case forecasts that from opening year there will be just under 60,000 newly generated trips per year using the station.

“Combined with trips that will likely transfer from using existing stations due to the improved access that Thanet Parkway provides, will result in a total of over 114,000 trips per year from the opening year.

“This is forecast to increase to over 140,000 total trips by 2031.

“The business case shows that the economic appraisal for the station is ‘very high’ value for money and financially positive with 69 pence of economic benefit added to the economy per pound of capital investment.”

Network Rail responded regarding the concerns for safety.

A spokesperson stated: “The safety of our passengers, staff and the public is always our number one priority.

“There are a range of facilities at the station for the safety and comfort of passengers during their journeys including security lighting, CCTV, passenger help points to provide remote assistance for those who need it, and lifts and stairs to access the platforms.”

Adding to the reassurance that the new station will be safe to use, media relations manager Paul Prentice from Southeastern reported: “We’re very much looking forward to the opening of Thanet Parkway shortly, giving people in Thanet and East Kent more journey opportunities, whether that’s for work or for leisure.

“The station will be regularly visited by our colleagues to service the station, for example, emptying litter bins, cleaning and checking ticket machines are in good working order.

“Once the station opens for business, we’ll continue to monitor demand for train services and use the opportunity to make changes to the timetable in line with the rest of the rail industry.”